Early this morning, 40-year-old Timon Fish was the first to finish the 2026 Pinyons and Pines race in Arizona. Despite the challenging conditions, Timon wrapped up his 413-mile ride in just 1 day, 20 hours, 47 minutes. Find photos from the finish and an update on the podium here…

Words and photos by Wyatt Spalding

At approximately 2:42 a.m. this Saturday morning, Timon Fish rolled up to Flagstaff Bicycle Revolution, securing first place in this year’s Pinyons and Pines Bikepacking Race.

Timon finished the 413-mile route with 40,000 ft of elevation gain in just 1 day, 20 hours, and 47 minutes. Just before Timon arrived at the finish, I spoke with race organizer Dana Ernst about how unexpected it was to see the route completed in sub-48 hours. With this year’s demanding course and conditions, Timon’s effort was nothing short of incredible.

And according to Timon, it was not all smooth sailing. He mentioned considering quitting after roughly five hours, as he had felt horrible the day before and into the morning of the race. He struggled to fuel and kept himself going with sips of Gatorade and nibbles of Fritos here and there. He slept for roughly 90 minutes on the first night and was passed by a handful of riders.

He mentioned things changing for the better after snagging a breakfast burrito in Prescott. He finally felt like he could ride hard after getting some solid food down. By roughly mile 280, Timon was back in the lead but caught in the desert heat near Camp Verde, with peak temperatures of 90+ degrees Fahrenheit. A DIY ice sock made from his neck buff made it somewhat bearable as he began ascending back toward Flagstaff.

He had been neck and neck with Rocky Gingg, but unfortunately Rocky had a catastrophic rear hub failure around mile 275 that left him stranded. Timon also dealt with a few mechanical issues, such as breaking a spoke near the start and snapping a chain toward the finish, which he was luckily able to repair.

Congrats to Timon for such a stellar ride, and good luck at Unbound XL in two weeks!

Jeff Kerkove arrived at the finish three hours after Timon, securing second place and also finishing the route in sub-48 hours by a mere 13 minutes, with a finish time of 1 day, 23 hours, and 47 minutes. Congrats on an amazing ride, Jeff!

David Tschan took the final podium spot in third place with a time of 2 days, 4 hours, and 26 minutes. He was closely followed by Alex Schultz, who arrived in fourth place roughly an hour later.

In the women’s field, Sarah Didier lost the lead overnight as she diverted off course seeking a hotel. Currently, Gwen Cameron and Katie Smyth are battling for the lead as they finish the last bits of the Prescott Circle Trail. Sarah Higgins is also just a few miles behind and making steady progress. It will be interesting to see if Sarah Didier can make it back into the lead after having a solid night’s rest in a hotel.

As riders continue on their way back to Flagstaff, this year’s edition of Pinyons and Pines has cemented itself as one of the toughest editions yet, with no shortage of impressive performances across the entire field.

Check out the 2026 Pinyons and Pines Tracker page to follow along on the live tracking map, and stay tuned in for more event coverage. Find it here.

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